Latest news with #GeneralAmnesty
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanon's Rioting Inmates Call for General Amnesty Law
Riots at Roumieh prison, east of Beirut, renewed on Thursday to pressure the Lebanese parliament to adopt a general amnesty law and slash the prison year from 9 to 6 months. The rioting began on Wednesday night and continued till noon Thursday in an attempt by prisoners to pressure the parliament that was in session. Some of them even carried out mock hangings. However, lawmakers failed to adopt the draft-law and referred it to parliamentary committees 'for further review and amendments.' Asharq Al-Awsat spoke by phone with some of the inmates. One of them said that the prisoners suspended their rioting 'to avoid a confrontation with the guards ... who are not the reason behind our suffering.' 'The prisoners had received promises that the general amnesty draft-law would be adopted during Thursday's session. However, unfortunately, the draft-law was referred to the committees, which are the graveyard for laws.' 'We don't want to resort to escalation so that we don't get into a confrontation with security forces and we don't harm ourselves,' the prisoner added. Lebanon suffers from overcrowded prisons where inmates, who live in poor conditions, demand better treatment and speedier trials. Roumieh prison houses more than 4,000 prisoners, around three times its intended capacity, and has long been infamous for the poor conditions in some of its blocks. A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the rioting on Wednesday and Thursday was limited to block B of the prison, where Islamist inmates are incarcerated. The source said that some of the block's gates were broken down but there were no confrontations between the protesters and the security forces tasked with guarding the prison. When the prisoners were informed about the draft-law's referral to the parliamentary committees for further discussion, they issued a statement accusing 'the parliament of once again disregarding the voice of conscience and humanity.' They called for 'exceptional measures' to resolve the problem of overcrowded prisons that have suffered from 'injustices in arrests and trials.'
Iraqi News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Presidency of the Republic ratifies Personal Status, Amnesty, Property Restitution Laws
The Presidency of the Republic ratified, today, Thursday, the Personal Status, General Amnesty and Property Restitution Laws. This came after the Federal Supreme Court decided, the day before yesterday, Tuesday, to reject the appeal submitted against the General Amnesty, Personal Status and Property Restitution Laws, and to cancel the state order to suspend their implementation. The parliament voted in its third session of its first legislative term, the fourth legislative year of the fifth electoral term, on January 21, headed by Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, Speaker of the Council, on three laws. At the beginning of the session, the Council voted in its entirety on the proposal to amend Personal Status Law No. 188 of 1959 submitted by the Legal Committee and the Women, Family and Childhood Committees, which came in line with what was stipulated in Article (2) of the Constitution that it is not permissible to enact a law that contradicts the constants of the provisions of Islam and what was stipulated in Article (41) regarding guaranteeing the freedom of individuals to adhere to their personal status according to their religions, sects, beliefs, or choice, and to put that article into effect and organize that freedom within the framework of the law in a way that preserves the courts as a unified judicial body by applying the provisions of the Personal Status Law in accordance with the law. The Council voted in its entirety on the draft law to return real estate to its owners covered by some decisions of the Revolutionary Command Council (dissolved) submitted by the Legal Committee, due to the issuance of many decisions of the Revolutionary Command Council (dissolved) to expropriate lands belonging to citizens and in order to restore rights to their owners and remove the effects resulting from them. The Council also voted in general on the draft law amending the second General Amnesty Law No. (27) of 2016 submitted by the Legal, Security and Defense, and Human Rights Committees, which aims to prevent perpetrators of terrorist crimes and organized crimes from kidnapping people due to the serious criminal behavior it represents and the negative effects it has on the victims or their families and its danger to society, and to reintegrate those covered by the amnesty law into society after rehabilitating them in reform departments and giving them the opportunity to live a decent life.
Shafaq News
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
State Administration Coalition meeting derailed due to Kurdish, Sunni boycott
Shafaq News/ The State Administration Coalition postponed its emergency meeting for the second time after Kurdish and Sunni blocs boycotted both the originally scheduled Saturday session and its rescheduled Sunday meeting. The State Administration Coalition, which includes Shiite parties from the Coordination Framework, Sunni blocs such as Taqadum and Sovereignty, and Kurdish factions including the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was formed to 'maintain political stability' and 'implement agreements' among Iraq's major politicalforces. A political source confirmed that most coalition members arrived at the government palace for the meeting, which was called by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. However, the Kurdish and Sunni blocs, who did not notify organizers of their absence in advance, later conditioned their participation on the Federal Supreme Court's ruling on the recently passed controversial laws. The meeting was attended by leaders of the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), who discussed key political issues and emphasized the need for a 'unified stance and coordinated movement,' warning that 'undermining the agreement could destabilize the political process.' Attendees also included State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki, Wisdom Movement leader Ammar Al-Hakim, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, National Approach Bloc leader Abdul Sada Al-Fariji, and CF Secretary Abbas Al-Ameri, along with other senior figures. On Sunday, the Federal Supreme Court set Tuesday, February 11 as the date for considering the appeals submitted against the vote on the three laws. Legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi noted that this session could 'result in multiple outcomes,' including 'postponing the case, ordering a revote on some laws, or dismissing the appeal for lack of jurisdiction,' warning, 'Interfering in court matters is a criminal offense under Article 235 of the Penal Code.' Notably, the political crisis escalated following Parliament's approval of the three controversial laws; General Amnesty, Personal Status Amendment, and Property Restitution, which were passed collectively in a single vote, leading dozens of lawmakers to boycott the session and challenge the vote's legitimacy before the Federal Supreme Court. The court later issued an injunction suspending the laws, but the Supreme Judicial Council ruled that 'legislation cannot be halted before publication in the official gazette,' intensifying tensions with the Kurdish and Sunni blocs.
